Disposal unit

ABSTRACT

A grinder or disposal unit for materials, and particularly for matter discharged from water closets or other public conveniences. The grinder comprises a body having an inlet orifice for material to be ground and a discharge orifice for ground material, a grinding member having teeth on one of its faces and a coacting member, means for providing a relative movement between the grinding member and coacting member, wherein the coacting member includes at least one notch through which at least one tooth of the grinding member is capable of being displaced.

United States Patent Derouineau June 10, 1975 l l DISPOSAL UNIT [76] Inventor: Ren Derouineau, Moulin de Pmlwry l Lake Pelissey 33 Gmdigmm- Frame Assistant Exam1nerDeWalden W. Jones Attorney. Agent, or Firm-Arthur B. Colvln [22] Filed: Sept. 19, I973 211 App]. No.: 398,695 ABSTRACT A grinder or disposal unit for materials, and particu- [30] Foreign Application Priority Data larly for matter discharged from water closets or other public conveniences. Sept. 26, 1972 France i. 72.35059 v The grmder comprises a body havmg an Inlet or1fice 521 11.5. (:1 241 /46.ll; 241/32 material be ground and a discharge Orifice for 51 1111. C1. B020 7/04 gmund material, a grinding member having [58] Field of Search 241 /46.1 1, 46 A 46 B, one of its faces and a mating membermeans for 241/4613, 46:17 32 providing a relative movement between the grinding member and coacting member, wherein the coacting [56] References Cied member includes at least one notch through which at UNITED STATES PATENTS least one tooth of the grinding member is capable of being displaced. 2,852.19) 9/1958 Holzer 24114611 x 2.852.200 9/1958 Holzer 241/4611 5 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures A k \L 7 Z Z 1 4 1 1 3 Z l 22 l Z 19 21 l0 1m 5 l7 DISPOSAL l'NIT This invention relates to a grinder or disposal unit for materials and particularly for matter discharged into water closets or other public conveniencies.

Whether the pans of the closets or other public conveniencies are connected to mains. septic tanks or recovery reservoirs, it is necessary for the matter to reach them in finely comminuted form it rapid clogging of the discharge pipes from the pans is to be avoided. However, all kinds of materials can be thrown into the parts, as for example newspaper, sanitary towels or pads and other objects such as old combs. The consequence is that very frequently the discharge pipes of the pans are clogged as a consequence of swelling of absorbent materials or the jamming of foreign bodies.

In order to overcome this serious inconvenience. various types of disintegrators or disposal units have been proposed, which are interposed between the discharge pipe of the closet and the discharge sewer or reservoir and which have for their object merely to grind the fecal or other matter before this is admitted into the said sewers or recovery reservoirs. These disposal units generally comprise a grinding member formed by a screw mounted in a vertical tube. of which one end opens into a chamber in which the grinding of the materials takes place, the screw being slightly recessed at this end, while the other end is connected to a pump capable of withdrawing the materials from the grinding chamber so as to evacuate them towards the sewer or recovery reservoir or tank. the said materials being ground as they pass through at the level of the screw.

Nevertheless, this type of disposal unit has numerous drawbacks. As the number of blades of the screw are limited. it is necessary to drive the screw with a high speed of rotation so as to grind the material as efficiently as possible between the screw and the internal wall of the vertical withdrawal tube. In addition, this type of grinder is fragile and may become inoperative when a relatively hard object, such as a comb, is jammed between one blade of the screw and the tube, it being possible for the jamming action very quickly to cause the destruction of the screw, which is being constantly rotated.

Another disadvantage which results from the high speed of rotation of the screw is that very often textile fibres become wrapped around the blades and the driving shaft of the screw, causing the jamming and immobilisation of the screw.

The present invention has for its object to avoid, or at least reduce, the aforesaid disadvantages and to provide a grinder or disposal unit suitable for grinding most materials liable to be thrown into the pans of water closets.

According to this invention there is provided a grinder or disposal unit comprising a body having an inlet orifice for material to be ground and a discharge orifice for ground material, a grinding member having teeth on one ofits faces and a coaeting member. means for providing a relative movement between the grinding member and coacting member. wherein the coact ing member includes at least one notch through which at least one tooth of the grinding member is capable of being displaced.

In one embodiment of the invention. the grinding member is formed by a rotatable grid which is provided with teeth substantially perpendicular to the grid, while the coacting member is formed by a thin plate disposed in a plane that is substantially perpendicular to the plane of the grid and provided on its bottom edge with a series of notches and capable of pivoting away from the grid from a stop position in which it is substantially perpendicular to the grinding grid, so that the materials admitted between the grid and plate are finely ground with the passage of the teeth through the corresponding notches.

One advantage of the disposal unit of the present invention consists in that, in practice, the fecal matter and other soft materials are finely ground during their first forced passage through the notches, while the other materials which are more difficult to grind or which are harder are progressively destroyed or shredded. With the notches brought close to one another and with the interval between two successive notches such that two successive teeth disposed on the same row or line each pass simultaneously through a notch, a sanitary towel cannot be shredded in the first passage and offers resistance to the movement of the teeth through the notches. Under these conditions, the thin plate pivots in the appropriate direction under the joint action of the sanitary towel and the teeth and enlarges the passage available to the said sanitary towel. which is once again driven, always in the same direction of rotation, towards the plate. Thus, the sanitary towel is progressively destroyed by the repeated passages beneath the plate until it no longer offers any resistance to the passage into the notches of the plate, this latter being in its position of equilibrium. after which it is discharged with the other ground materials towards the sewer or recovery reservoir or tank.

According to another feature of the invention, the grid is provided with a large number of discharge orifices and is driven at a low speed of rotation. This makes it possible for the ground materials or the materials for which there is no need for grinding to be discharged progressively, due to being of smaller dimensions than the diameter ofthe orifices, and also to avoid textile or other threads wrapping around the grinding teeth or parts of the plate situated between the notches.

For a better understanding of the invention, and to show how the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be directed, by way of example, to the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a grinder or disposal unit according to one embodiment of the invention, the cover thereof being removed.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view on the line Il-II of FIG. 1, and

FIG. 3 is a sectional view on the line III-Ill of FIG. 2.

Referring to FIG. 1, a disposal unit 1 is associated with a suction pump 2 for ground materials and a motor 3 by which the parts of the said unit are driven in rotation. However, it is obvious that the pump 2 and the motor 3 can be constructed as a single element, one part forming the pump and another part forming the driving motor.

The disposal unit 1 comprises a vertical cylindrical body 4 which is terminated at one of its ends by a base 5 and is closed at its other end by a cover or plug 6 provided with an O-ring sealing joint 7. The pump 2, which is known per se, is connected by a suction pipe 8 for the ground materials to the interior of the grinder body 4, while a supply pipe 9 for materials to be ground and connected to a lavatory pan also opens into the interior of the said body 4, but at a higher level than that of the suction pipe 8 (FIGS. 2 and 3 A grinding member which is formed by a circular horizontal plate 10 is disposed inside the body 4, situated above the level of the opening of the suction pipe 8. A driving shaft 11 therefore extends through the base 5 of the body and has keyed thereto a toothed wheel 12 meshing with a toothed wheel 13 of smaller diameter and mounted on a shaft 14 which is driven in rotation by the driving motor 3. The free end of the shaft 11 is supported by a bearing 15 mounted in a recess of a supporting base 16 which is made fast with the base 5 by posts and screws 17 (FIG. 2).

The circular plate 10 is formed by a grid having a di ameter slightly smaller than the internal diameter of the body 4 and provided with orifices 18 between which are provided vertical grinding teeth 19 disposed along concentric circles 20, the centre of which is coincident with the centre of rotation of the shaft 11. Mounted thereabove is a retractable coacting member 21, which is formed by a plate of small thickness disposed in a plane substantially perpendicular to the plane of the grid. The thin plate is secured to a shaft which is capable of turning in a single direction through a specified angle, the blocking of the plate in its position of equilibrium, ie in the vertical position in relation to the shaft 22, being assured by any suitable member, such as a calibrated spring 23 supported between the shaft and a fixed stop 24.

Notches 25 are formed on the bottom edge of the plate, which are arranged in such a way that with the rotation of the grid 10, the teeth 19 disposed along a diameter of the largest circle simultaneously traverse the plate 21, each tooth 19 on the same radius passing through a notch 25. Preferably, the plate 21 has a bottom edge 21a of a length that is substantially equal to the radius of the largest circle and situated very close to the grid 10, so that the materials to be ground are unable to pass between the grid and the bottom edge 21a of the plate 21 when the latter is in abutment.

The function of the disposal unit according to the invention is as follows.

When the materials to be ground reach the body 4 by way of the admission pipe 9 which is situated above the grid 10, they fall on to this latter, which is driven in rotation by the motor 3 and the gearing l1, l2, l3 and 14. The fine materials pass directly through the orifices 18 and are drawn in by the suction of the pump 2 and discharged towards the sewer or recovery tank (not shown). The materials of larger dimensions than those of the orifices are maintained on the grid 10 and are subjected in part to the action ofthe teeth, which force them through the notches in the plate 21, the teeth thus serving the purpose of carrier parts, which, with each revolution, grind a little more material, which is discharged progressively as the detached particles are capable of passing through the orifices 18.

When a relatively hard material, such a comb, or a material which is more difficult to grind, such as a sanitary towel, falls on to the grid, it is partly brought under the plate 21. Because of its nature, the said material is unable to pass through the notches 25 of the plate 21 and develops a force which tends to oppose that developed by the teeth. At this point, on bearing against the plate 21, it presses against the latter, which pivots about the shaft 22 through an angle which permits the passage of the material, which is then once again driven in rotation on the grid 10 by the teeth 19 and once again brought under the plate 2|. It is understood that, with each passage beneath the plate, the hard material is shredded to a small extent until it is completely ground down and capable of being discharged through the orifices.

So that this grinding may be as efficient as possible and so as to avoid any wrapping of natural or textile threads around the teeth 19 and the separating walls 25a between the notches 25, the grid is driven at a low speed of rotation, which is of the order of to 200 r.p.m., by an appropriate choice of the toothed wheels 12 and 13, which makes it necessary only to have a lowpower motor, for example, of the order of about lOU watts.

It is evident that the scope of the present invention is not limited to the embodiment which has been described above, but on the contrary covers all the modifications within the scope of the accompanying claims. For example, it is possible to keep the grid fixed and to rotate the plate, which sweeps over the entire surface of the said grid and which is retracted when it meets a more or less hard material in the manner which is de scirbed in the case of a rotatable grid.

It is also possible to visualise the case where the plate is fixed and the grid is mounted on a suspension member which urges the said grid towards the plate so as to force the material into the notches of the said plate; this modified form can be improved by driving the grid and the plate with a synchronised rotational movement and with an axial movement in both directions, that is to say, tending to bring the plate closer to or to space it further from the grid, and vice versa, so as to tear the material in the rotational phase and then to apply pressure to it in the axial thrust phase Furthermore, instead of driving the grid with a rotational movement, it is possible to communicate to the grid a reciprocatory movement beneath the plate, which is fixed, the teeth being then anchored in their support zone by any suitable means, such as welding or jack devices, so as to be in one piece with the said grid, in rows and columns and with a staggered arrangement if desired.

The means of controlling the motor and the pump have not been shown and are known in existing types of sanitary unit. In the case of a new sanitary unit, it is preferable to dispense with the flushing system or the cistern, which are usually associated with the pan. To this end, it is advantageous to provide on the rear face of the pan an electromagnetic valve which is mounted on the water supply pipe of the pan. This electromagnetic valve is controlled from a push button which simultaneously controls the starting up of the disposal unit according to the inventionv As a result, with the actuation of the electromagnetic valve, which permits the admission of water for a predetermined time, the disposal unit is also energised, discharging and grinding the materials which are in the pan and which are diluted with water. This arrangement permits a substantial reduction in the cost price of the sanitary unit and the consumption of water which is used therein.

What I claim is:

1. A grinder for a disposal unit or the like comprising a body having an inlet orifice for material to be ground and an outlet orifice for ground material, grinding apparatus interposed between said inlet and outlet orifices, said apparatus including a grinding plate member formed with a waste support surface having perforations formed therethrough. said plate member including tooth portions extending from said waste support surface. a coaeting member disposed adjacent the waste support surface of said plate member. said coaeting member including at least one notch portion, drive means for relatively moving said members in a predetermined path progressively to shift said tooth portions of said plate member through said at least one notch of said coacting member. and movable mounting means interposed between said members for enabling relative separating movements of said eoacting member and said waste support surface responsive to passage between said members of a large solid waste object.

2. A grinder in accordance with claim 1 wherein said drive means rotates said plate member relative to said body. and said movable mounting means includes spring means yieldably urging said coacting member toward said surface. said enacting member being shift able away from said surface against the biasing influence of said spring means.

3. A grinder in accordance with claim 2 wherein said coacting member comprises a plate pivotally secured to said body, stop means extending from said body. said spring means normally yieldingly urging said plate against said stop means.

4. A disposal unit accordance with claim I and including electromagnetic valve means for releasing waste to said inlet orifice and a flush release member adapted simultaneously to energize said electromagnetic valve means and said drive means of said grinding apparatus.

5. A disposal unit in accordance with claim I wherein said plate member is rotated relative to said eoaeting member at a speed of rotation of from about to 200 rpm. 

1. A grinder for a disposal unit or the like comprising a body having an inlet orifice for material to be ground and an outlet orifice for ground material, grinding apparatus interposed between said inlet and outlet orifices, said apparatus including a grinding plate member formed with a waste support surface having perforations formed therethrough, said plate member including tooth portions extending from said waste support surface, a coacting member disposed adjacent the waste support surface of said plate member, said coacting member including at least one notch portion, drive means for relatively moving said members in a predetermined path progressively to shift said tooth portions of said plate member through said at least one notch of said coacting member, and movable mounting means interposed between said members for enabling relative separating movements of said coacting member and said waste support surface responsive to passage between said members of a large solid waste object.
 2. A grinder in accordance with claim 1 wherein said drive means rotates said plate member relative to said body, and said movable mounting means includes spring means yieldably urging said coacting member toward said surface, said coacting member being shiftable away from said surface against the biasing influence of said spring means.
 3. A grinder in accordance with claim 2 wherein said coactiNg member comprises a plate pivotally secured to said body, stop means extending from said body, said spring means normally yieldingly urging said plate against said stop means.
 4. A disposal unit accordance with claim 1 and including electromagnetic valve means for releasing waste to said inlet orifice and a flush release member adapted simultaneously to energize said electromagnetic valve means and said drive means of said grinding apparatus.
 5. A disposal unit in accordance with claim 1 wherein said plate member is rotated relative to said coacting member at a speed of rotation of from about 100 to 200 rpm. 